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Runoff Rundown |
Welcome to the 19th issue of Runoff Rundown, the Center for Watershed Protection's quarterly electronic newsletter!
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The 2005 Stormwater Institute (formerly known as the Stormwater Program and Design Institute) is planned for November in Virginia. Developed specifically for the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) community stormwater professional, this intensive, interactive three-day program will focus on:
- Providing practical guidance on municipal stormwater program setup, design and administration, including staffing, budgeting, financing and resources
- Strengthening the technical skills needed to develop and run effective programs for stormwater management, erosion and sediment control, illicit discharge detection, pollution prevention, and watershed education
- Offering unique opportunities for participants to receive individualized support from local and national experts
Check back in the next few weeks on the front page of our web site for the exact dates and location.
STAFF NEWS:
We hope everyone has been enjoying a fun-filled summer. We at the Center have been as busy as ever!
We continue to expand our staff to meet our increase in work. Our most recent addition was in May with Emily Corwin who has provided for us watershed planning, stormwater management, retrofitting and research skills. Emily has a B.S. in Hydrologic Sciences from UC Davis and has worked for engineering firms in Northern California and most recently in Northern Virginia. We are thrilled to have her on board.
We are also pleased to report that two of our water resources engineers, Ted Brown and Jennifer Zielinski, received word last month that they successfully passed their exam for the Professional Engineer license, and can now put that esteemed "P.E." after their names! Congratulations!
THIS JUST IN:
Part II of the Urban Watershed Forestry Manual. As we discussed in April’s Runoff Rundown, our partnership with the USDA Forest Service has focused on the integration of trees and reforestation into the watershed protection and restoration planning process. The first part of the manual was available through our web site in April and now available for free download is Part II of this three-part manual and is entitled Conserving & Planting Trees at Development Sites. Look for Part III later in the year. To visit the site: http://www.cwp.org/forestry/index.htm
An easier and new way to order Center publications! Many people have wanted to order our extensive collection of manuals and CDs, but weren’t always sure where to find them on our online store. In June, we announced the opening of a new online store with new categories and seamless integration with our main site! Our current special is a discount of Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series Manual 4: Urban Stream Repair Practices for $40 for the full-color soft cover manual and $35 for the PDF Download for a limited time. To visit our online store: http://www.cwp.org/pubs_download.htm
To order the monthly special: http://www.cwp.org/pubs_download.htm#monthly
Coming Soon: Later this summer, the Center will release the next installment of the Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series - Manual 2: Methods to Develop Restoration Plans for Small Urban Watersheds. This much-anticipated manual presents a framework and step-by-step guidance for crafting watershed restoration plans. It introduces a series of desktop, field, and stakeholder involvement methods that culminate in a series of restoration management methods and includes a chapter on scoping and budgeting for watershed restoration plans.
PROJECT UPDATES:
What We’re Working On:
We are pleased to announce that two Builders for the Bay (BFB) roundtables launched this June. On the 15th, the Center, in partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, kicked off a BFB roundtable in Blair County, PA, which includes the Little Juniata and Beaverdam Branch watersheds. This effort to examine local codes and ordinances and achieve consensus on code improvements to promote better site design involves nine entities - Blair County and eight townships and boroughs within the county. Subcommittees will be meeting throughout the fall and winter, with a consensus document to be produced in mid-summer of next year. Also, after much planning, the Baltimore County BFB got underway at the end of last month. Click here to jump to the article below.
After many years of working in so many watersheds in our state, we are excited to report that we are working, very literally, in our backyard! Last week we prepared mapping, calculated drainage area, and generated a stormwater retrofit concept to improve the quality of the runoff from the public parking lot next to our office. This work is part of a small project with Tetra Tech where the team is developing a Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS) for Howard County on the Lower Patapsco Watershed. While the majority of the work involves subwatersheds other than the one in which our office is located (Tiber-Hudson), namely the Sucker Branch and Rockburn Branch, we didn't want to miss this opportunity at proposing a "fix" to an area we see every day!
The Center has also been working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to prepare a guide for developing watershed management plans in Maryland. The purpose of the Maryland Watershed Users Guide is to provide a unified approach to watershed planning that addresses local, state and federal water resource objectives, and meets the watershed planning commitments set forth in the Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement.
What We're Starting:
CWP is working with Horsley Witten Group, Inc. and the Bronx River Alliance on community watershed planning and implementation guidance for the New York Department of State's Division of Coastal Resources. The products of this collaboration will include a video, guidance manual, and technical web site specifically for local municipalities, watershed groups, and other managers involved in protecting local water resources in New York.
Over the last three months, the Center has been working with staff from Westchester County, NY, to develop a baseline assessment of the Westchester County portion of the Bronx River watershed. The Bronx River is a 56 square-mile watershed that flows from northern Westchester County, along the historic Bronx River Parkway, through Bronx County, and into the Long Island Sound. This is the first phase of a larger project to develop a watershed restoration plan for the River. Under this phase of the project, the Center will conduct a preliminary assessment of the watershed and, in conjunction with Biohabitats, Inc., will conduct a Unified Stream Assessment (USA), Unified Subwatershed and Site Reconnaissance (USSR) and stormwater retrofit inventory this autumn.
Through EPA funding, and in conjunction with Tetra Tech, the Center is also in the beginning stages of developing Phase II post–construction program guidance. Included in this project is an online questionnaire gathering information on post-construction stormwater management, so keep an eye out later this summer for an email from us asking those involved in these activities to complete the questionnaire.
In partnership with the Port Tobacco River Conservancy (PTRC), the Center recently kicked-off two projects in Charles County, MD. The Port Tobacco River watershed is rapidly developing, experiencing the impacts of urbanization along with the legacy of aging septic systems. The Center will be developing subwatershed management strategies, while PTRC conducts a septic system survey and develops septic system outreach materials. We are also targeting one small urbanized subwatershed to conduct the USA/USSR and retrofit inventory, then implement a demonstration project.
Program Highlight: Community Watersheds
CWP is kicking off several new projects with our Community Watersheds partner organizations, including:
- Antietam Watershed Association (PA)
- Beaver Creek Watershed Association (MD)
- Harpeth River Watershed Association (TN)
- James River Association (VA)
- Port Tobacco River Conservancy (MD)
- Herring Run Watershed Association (MD)
- South River Federation (MD)
- Spa Creek Conservancy (MD)
The Center believes that with some technical and organizational guidance, small watershed organizations can play a key role in local watershed management and, collectively, in regional water resource protection and restoration. Through our Community Watersheds program, we envision building the capacity of small watershed organizations individually and collectively in local watershed planning and implementation.
Although our 2005 Community Watersheds projects vary in terms of tasks, fieldwork, size of subwatershed, etc. there is a common thread – the goal of all of these projects is to help the organizations develop a better understanding of their watershed, how it functions, and how it may be protected or restored.
PROJECTS IN ACTION:
Periodically, Runoff Rundown will have this special section to share news from our partners about how our plans have been implemented or how projects have helped leverage new funding or projects. Please remember to share with us how you have used our resources and partnerships to fund or implement work in your area by sending us an email at center@cwp.org or to your staff contact!
In early June, the Center wrapped up code reviews for two towns in Dutchess County, NY. The Dutchess County Environmental Management Council is continuing the important work of facilitating Better Site Design in these towns and eleven others in the county by having launched their roundtable process on April 15. Both towns, Wappinger and Clinton, have set up subcommittees and have completed at least one meeting each. Progress is being made in both towns, and the goal is to have a consensus document by February 2006. The Center is always excited to see local communities moving forward with watershed protection initiatives like the Better Site Design roundtable and consensus process. We wish them success in their endeavors and encourage other communities that have taken similar steps to let us know of the progress being made by sending us an email at center@cwp.org.
We are pleased to report implementation of another watershed restoration plan. In May 2001, the Center, in partnership with the City of Burlington and other stakeholders, completed a restoration plan for the Englesby Brook Watershed in Vermont. Englesby Brook is approximately one square mile and drains to Lake Champlain, the primary drinking water supply for Burlington and other municipalities. A recreational beach near its confluence with the Lake has been closed to swimmers due to high levels of bacteria. To address this and other water quality concerns, the city used federal grants and funds from a special superfund project to implement many of the Center's recommendations. Work began by expanding a pond at a country club to help mitigate peak flows and reduce sediment loads. Additional stormwater ponds and a stormwater wetland are also in the plans. Local officials hope to have the work completed by mid-October. For more information on the implementation of the restoration project, see http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20050629/NEWS02/506290305/1007.
FEATURED ARTICLE:
Builders for the Bay kickoff in Baltimore County, MD
Several years in the making, the Baltimore County Builders for the Bay (BFB) site planning roundtable launched on June 30th at a kickoff event in Owings Mills, MD. The meeting was well attended by county staff, the development industry, watershed groups, the media, and representatives from its organizers - the Center, Baltimore County, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and the Home Builders Association of Maryland. Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith was among the speakers at the event, mentioning that this yearlong roundtable process coincides with his "Green Renaissance" initiative.
This BFB will prove to be unique for several reasons. First, Baltimore County is highly urbanized; the most developed county that has held a BFB to date. This means that issues of redevelopment, where existing developed sites are modified to serve a new purpose, and infill planning, where a small previously undeveloped lot is developed, will predominate, instead of the typical Better Site Design principles addressing new development. The subcommittees have also been expanded from the usual three to five, adding one subcommittee dedicated solely to stormwater management, and one to examine the County’s site plan review and approval process.
Click here for our web page outlining the key elements of this project, as well as the Baltimore County press release, and an article from The Baltimore Sun. http://www.cwp.org/bfb/baltimore/baltimoreinfo.htm
FEATURED ARTICLE:
Center Responds to Stormwater Manager’s Maintenance Concerns
Are you a stormwater geek that has been known to play “spot the stormwater pond”? Have you ever seen an overgrown depression and wondered, “Is THAT the stormwater facility”? If so, here's a resource that may be needed in your community.
In many communities, structural stormwater controls - particularly ponds and wetlands - are built with the expectation they will be maintained. For those communities where maintenance of stormwater ponds and wetlands is a new responsibility, there is now a source for guidance. The draft Stormwater Pond and Wetland Maintenance Guidebook, prepared by the Center for Watershed Protection for Tetra Tech under a contract for the US EPA Office of Science and Technology, is now available for download.
This guidebook addresses maintenance through the lifecycle of a facility, from design to major repairs. First, eight common maintenance concerns are described in detail including access difficulties that are commonly encountered by inspectors or maintenance contractors and a concise list of pipe failure mechanisms in stormwater ponds and wetlands.
Designers and plan reviewers will find the Chapter on "Designing for Low Maintenance Ponds and Wetlands" to be helpful in understanding the links between design features and long-term performance. Those responsible for signing off on the construction or planning-for-construction inspection can find highlights on items to keep an eye on during construction to prevent future problems. The meat of the guidebook comes as eight profile sheets, addressing each of the common maintenance concerns. “Problems to Inspect for” are described in detail, as are preventative and corrective actions. Color photographs visually depict the problems described.
When used by the inspector, program manager, designer, and owner of stormwater facilities in NPDES Phase I and II communities, this guidebook can be a starting place for a stormwater pond and wetland maintenance program.
You can download the guidebook by clicking http://www.stormwatercenter.net/Manual_Builder/
Maintenance_Manual/introduction.htm or through http://www.stormwatercenter.net and clicking on Program Resources and then STP Maintenance Resources.
UPCOMING INSTITUTES:
November 2005: Stormwater Institute
TBD in Virginia
Spring 2006: Watershed Protection Institute
TBD in Midwest
Stay informed of the latest Institutes in the Coming Soon! section at the bottom of the Center’s front page: http://www.cwp.org
WEBCAST: Our own Tom Schueler had the honor of being the guest instructor for the EPA Watershed Academy’s first free webcast seminar. On June 22nd, Tom gave a webcast presentation on the "Eight Tools of Watershed Protection" to an online audience of 170. You, and the hundreds of folks who were wait listed, can view Tom’s slide presentation and related references on their webcast site at http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/watershedtools_062205/.
RESOURCE: The New York Stormwater Management Guidance Manual for Local Officials is now available online at http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dow/toolbox/ms4toolbox/local.html
This manual provides helpful programmatic guidance for NPDES Phase II MS4 townships and other local governmental offices.
RESOURCE: Life at Water’s Edge: A Shoreline Resident’s Guide to Natural Lakeshore and Streamside Buffers for Water Quality Protection in South Carolina edited by Lin Roth, Ph.D., Clemson, University Cooperative Extension Service and the Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science. For more information: http://www.clemson.edu/forestres/linroth.htm
CONFERENCE: Second Maryland Streams Symposium, August 10-13 2005, Carroll Community College, Westminster, MD. Organized by Maryland Department of Natural Resources. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/streams/mbss/symposium.html
CONFERENCE: Getting in Step with Phase II: A Workshop for Stormwater Program Managers, September 14-15, 2005, Boise, ID. Organized by by EPA Office of Wastewater Management,
EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, and EPA Region 10.
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/courseinfo.cfm?program_
id=0&outreach_id=200&schedule_id=811
CONFERENCE: 13th National Nonpoint Source Monitoring Workshop--Programs: Enhancing States' NPS Management Programs through Lessons Learned from NPS Monitoring Projects, September 19-22, 2005, Raleigh, NC . Organized by the North Carolina State University Water Quality Group. http://www.ncsu.edu/waterquality/nmp_conf/
CONFERENCE: Joint Southeastern Stormwater Management and Erosion and Sediment Control Conference, October 2-6, 2005, Peachtree City, GA. Hosted by the Southeast Chapter of the International Erosion Control Association and the University of Georgia. http://www.ieca.org/applications/calendar.asp?eventID=107&filter=Chapter
CONFERENCE: Stormwater Management Implementation: Are We Getting It Right? 2005 Pennsylvania Stormwater Management Symposium, October 12-13 2005, Villanova University. Organized by Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership http://www3.villanova.edu/VUSP/2005_PA_SWM/Call_for_Papers.htm
CONFERENCE: 4th National Conference: Nonpoint Source and Stormwater Pollution Education Programs, October 17-20 2005, Chicago, IL. Sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Chicago Botanic Garden. http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/courseinfo.cfm?
program_id=0&outreach_id=238&schedule_id=791
WORKSHOP: 8th Annual Wetlands and Watersheds Workshop: Aquatic Systems and Water Quality, October 25-28, 2005, Holiday Inn Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ. http://www.wetlandsworkgroup.org/wetreg7/7th_workshop.htm
CONFERENCE: Lake Æffects: Exploring the Relationship between People and Water, November 9-11, 2005, Madison, WI. North American Lake Management Society
http://www.nalms.org/symposia/madison/index.htm
WORKSHOP: Stormwater Funding and Utility Development / BMPs: Pollutants, Selection and Maintenance Workshops November 30–December 2, 2005, Nashville Marriott, Nashville, TN. Organized by StormCon. http://www.forester.net/stormcon/nashville/index.html
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